Free Republic

The militant has gained a bloody reputation as one of ISIS's most feared butchers after beheading dozens of prisoners and amputating young children. He has infamously been pictured in black robes and a mask while wielding a three-foot sword to behead his victims. ...The obese extremist, a member of the terror group's so-called Chopping Committee, is seen lying half-naked in the back of a truck with his hands tied behind his back. Crowds gather round to take pictures of the hulking jihadi, who appears to be grimacing, before he is driven off by Syrian Armed Forces in the footage posted...

With the risk of falling rocks, blind potholes and even carbon monoxide poisoning, it's easy to see where this treacherous road earned its nickname. Dubbed the Tunnel Of Death, the three-mile route is not for the faint-hearted – or the intrepid, for that matter. It was built to provide a safer journey for drivers travelling between Tajikistan’s major cities who previously had to contend with avalanches. But the £2.6billion project, constructed by Iran, appears to have offered an even more hellish alternative instead.

Vladimir Putin has conscripted 150,000 new troops into the Russian army as the country unleashed a new wave of airstrikes in Syria - while and Iran and Islamist group Hezbollah prepare for a major ground offensive. Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria over the last ten days, backed by the country's Lebanese allies, Hezbollah, and rebel fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan, two Lebanese sources claimed today. One of the sources said the Iranian ground forces were 'soldiers and officers', not advisers, adding: 'We mean hundreds with equipment and weapons. They will be followed by more.' They are being...

The cubs fathered by Cecil the lion are being protected by his brother amid fears they will be killed by a male rival, researchers said today. The much-loved lion was killed by American dentist Walter Palmer earlier this month, sparking outrage around the world. After his death, there were fears his cubs would be killed by the next lion in the hierarchy so he could father his own offspring with the females in the pride. But a team at Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Unit, which had been studying Cecil before he was shot dead, said the lion's brother had stepped...